How to account for CO2 emissions from biomass in an LCA

Rabl, Ari; Benoist, Anthony; Dron, Dominique; Peuportier, Bruno; Spadaro, Joseph V.; Zoughaib, Assaad

doi:10.1007/s11367-007-0347-z

Cited by 40 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In the case of forest-based products, LCA studies typically assume that the removal of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) by a growing tree and emission of CO 2 at the end of a product's life cancel each other out such that the net emission of biogenic CO 2 (derived from non-fossil and biodegradable organic matter) is effectively zero (Rabl et al 2007). However, there are a growing number of studies which suggest that biogenic CO 2 is not necessarily neutral (Holtsmark 2013;Helin et al 2013) due to CO 2 losses associated with harvesting, for example.…”

Section: Responsible Editor: Matthias Finkbeinermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For paper-and wood-based products, it is generally assumed that biogenic CO 2 is neutral, whereby the removal of carbon by growing forest biomass and emission of carbon at the end of a product's life cancel each other out so that the net effect of uptake and emission is assumed to be zero (Rabl et al 2007). This assumption is rarely challenged even though there is emerging evidence that it may not always be true in practice and could significantly impact the estimated lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of a product.…”

Section: Responsible Editor: Matthias Finkbeinermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable forest carbon stocks support current assumption of biogenic carbon neutrality in the case of European-manufactured beverage cartons

O’Sullivan

Hopkinson

Crockatt

et al. 2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of forest-based products, such as beverage cartons, generally demonstrate lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuel-based alternatives and often contain the implicit assumption that removal of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) by a growing forest and emission of CO 2 at the end of a product's life cancel each other out such that the net emission is zero. This study aims to test the validity of this assumption of biogenic CO 2 neutrality in relation to beverage cartons by examining whether carbon stocks of the source forests are stable. The fact that over 95 % of the cartonboard used in their manufacture is sourced from the boreal forests of Sweden and Finland provides a scenario with a straightforward relationship between forest and product thus avoiding issues surrounding the complexities of global supply chains. Methods The reviewed LCAs conclude that beverage cartons have lower greenhouse gas emissions than alternatives, although non-forest-derived components such as plastic caps and aluminium laminate often contribute disproportionately to those emissions. We discuss issues surrounding the assumption of biogenic CO 2 neutrality and explore the factors that influence carbon stocks in boreal forests that supply much of the raw material for beverage cartons.Results and discussion An analysis of published rates of carbon sequestration in the managed forests of Finland and Sweden reveals that forest carbon is stable under current harvest rates. This lends support to the assumption of biogenic CO 2 neutrality in the case of beverage cartons produced from these forests. We conclude that greenhouse gas emissions would not change if an LCA included forest carbon. However, future forest dynamics and thus carbon stocks are predicted to alter in response to climate change, for example, which will have knock on effects for greenhouse gas emissions from packaging derived from forests. Conclusions This review combines current thinking on inclusion of forest carbon in LCAs with an analysis of issues that will influence carbon stocks in managed forests. Although current assumptions of biogenic CO 2 neutrality are valid in the case of European-manufactured beverage cartons, we argue that this assumption needs to be explicitly addressed in LCAs. While there is no accepted methodology for integrating biogenic forest carbon uptake into LCA, our assessment of current trends in forest carbon stocks allows for assumptions of biogenic CO 2 neutrality to be tested, although our approach may not be practical for more complex supply chains.

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Section: Responsible Editor: Matthias Finkbeinermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Responsible Editor: Matthias Finkbeinermentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable forest carbon stocks support current assumption of biogenic carbon neutrality in the case of European-manufactured beverage cartons

O’Sullivan

Hopkinson

Crockatt

et al. 2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As stated above, CO 2 from biogenic sources has not been considered in the calculation of GWP. 41,45 In ADC (anaerobic digestion + composting) part of the biogas produced was burned in a flare. Since CO 2 from biogas combustion comes from a biogenic source it was not considered in the GWP calculation.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessment Applied To Solid Waste Treatment Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the energy and environmental burdens associated with the biological treatment of source-separated Municipal Solid Wastes

Colón

Cadena

Pognani

et al. 2012

Energy Environ. Sci.

144

104

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“…It should be noted that the LCA methods reviewed are focused on carbon emissions from fossil sources and exclude biogenic carbon emissions. The exclusion of biogenic carbon from LCA models has been criticized by a number of authors, and models to account for biogenic carbon have been proposed [120,121].…”

Section: Estimation Of Carbon Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation and Minimization of Embodied Carbon of Buildings: A Review

2017

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Building and construction is responsible for up to 30% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, commonly reported in carbon equivalent unit. Carbon emissions are incurred in all stages of a building's life cycle and are generally categorised into operating carbon and embodied carbon, each making varying contributions to the life cycle carbon depending on the building's characteristics. With recent advances in reducing the operating carbon of buildings, the available literature indicates a clear shift in attention towards investigating strategies to minimize embodied carbon. However, minimizing the embodied carbon of buildings is challenging and requires evaluating the effects of embodied carbon reduction strategies on the emissions incurred in different life cycle phases, as well as the operating carbon of the building. In this paper, the available literature on strategies for reducing the embodied carbon of buildings, as well as methods for estimating the embodied carbon of buildings, is reviewed and the strengths and weaknesses of each method are highlighted.

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How to account for CO2 emissions from biomass in an LCA

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Stable forest carbon stocks support current assumption of biogenic carbon neutrality in the case of European-manufactured beverage cartons

Stable forest carbon stocks support current assumption of biogenic carbon neutrality in the case of European-manufactured beverage cartons

Determination of the energy and environmental burdens associated with the biological treatment of source-separated Municipal Solid Wastes

Estimation and Minimization of Embodied Carbon of Buildings: A Review

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